Urban Chickens Find Organic Feed at Regent Square Store

Urban baby chicks now have a local supply of organic feed to help them develop into healthy, egg-laying pets.

The feed, now available at in the Regent Square area, comes straight from Countryside Farm in Missouri. While pellet feed doesn’t allow the customer to see what food their chickens are actually eating, the organic feed clearly contains bits of corn, wheat, lentils, flax seed and other all-natural ingredients.

Rachel Lamory, co-owner of Animal Nature, is raising five chickens in her own household. She said the trend of urban chicken raising is growing as people realize how easy the animals are to maintain and care for, along with the fact that more people are living increasingly sustainable lives.

“There’s nowhere else in Pittsburgh to get good, organic chicken feed for all chicken life stages” Lamory said.

The local store got in the first bundle of feed a week ago after Lamory gathered a list of farms that provide the organic chicken feed. Starter feed is for chicks up to four weeks old, grower feed is for chickens up to 16 weeks old, and layer feed is for the older animals.

A 50-pound bag of layer feed at Animal Nature is about $35.

“A lot more people are paying attention to where their food comes from—they want to know their farmers, grow their own gardens, and the next step in gardening is having your own chickens,” Lamory said. “You can’t beat the eggs—you know that they’re organic and the chickens are getting the free range they deserve.”

It’s all about taking the next step in self-sufficiency, Lamory said. A few of her own baby chicks spend time at the store during her shift, chirping away as they enjoy the new feed.

“The chickens also can prepare your yard for gardening or prepare the garden for you by eating bugs and other insects—there’s really no drawback,” Lamory said.

In addition to providing a great meal, she said chickens also make a great pet.

“Chickens take such minimal amount of time,” she said. “If you don’t have time for a cat or a dog, they don’t make a mess in the house and they actually provide you with eggs—they’re friendly.”

For more information, call Animal Nature at 412-723-2194.